St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-24
THE STATE OF TRADE.
The Weekly Review of the Com
mercial Situation.

New YORK, Dec. 23.-R. G. Dun &
Business throughout the country is ac-
tive for the season, and though collec-
tons at some points are slow and cred
its are strained, the reports are gener-
ally fairly satisfactory. But uncer
tainty and hesitation affect important
branches of production and the indus
trial outlook does not improve. Cur
rency is generally in good supply, even
where payments are slOweSt and credits
most strained. Speculation has been
less active and the general level of
prices, although higher than a week
ago in most speculative markets, has,
on the whole, declined a little. Since
July /, the average of prices in specula-
tive markets has advanced 15.6 per cent
with the tendency still upward. while
the average advance in all other prices
has been &C per cent, with the later
tendency downward. These facts indi-
cate activity in trading rather than sat
isfactory relations of supply and de-
mand. The iron trade is unsettled with
sales of several thousands of tons of Bir-
mingham pig here, while at Philadelphia
offers 81 below the market are noted.
Sales of 10000 tons steel rails have been
made during the week, and generally at
terms netting between 81 and S32. Bar
iron is weaker, and the tendency to
shrinkage in demand appears not only
in crude but in manufactured forms of
iron and steel. Wool is not active, and
prices range 10 to ID per cent below
those of May last, Notwithstanding the
decrease in imports and in home pro
ductiOn. which shows curtailment of
of
recent advances and in good demand for
the season. Print is an eighth higher.
The bOot,and shoe business is doing
well, and it is noted that purchasers are
already hurrying up their orders, while
the leather trade improves slightly, If at
all. The Lehigh coal strike continues,
and the consequent financial strain is in
some quarters severe. The Reading has
decided not to continue the recent adj
vance in wages, and dispatches say that
the men have already struck. Several
manufacturing establishments have
closed for the present, among them the
great Edgar Thompson works. On the
other hand, the distribution of groceries
is noticed in all sections as unusually
large, and the trade in holiday goods is
both large and unusually early. AT st.
Paul, Detroit and some other points the
i'm some branches of business, and at a
few other points activity continues in
retail trade, though wholesale business
exhibits some shrinkage, but the gen
eral volume of trade shown in bank
cleari ngs outside this city is even now
as large as last years at this period.
Notwithstanding the expected Reading
strike stocks have averaged a fraction
higher than a week ago, but the market
has been exceedingly dull. Wheat has
risen Ia cents, oil 34 cents, coffee a
cent, with better distribution, and hogs
= cent and pork 25 cents a barrel. Tin
has been lifted cent, and copper is I'M
changed. The sugar market shows no
change, though the Louisiana crop is
now reported fully 100000 hogsheads,
wheat shrink as prices advance. Up to
Dec. 1, in wheat and -four, 81 900, 900
bushels had gone out against 65,000.000
to the same date last year, leaving an
estimated surplus of 13,WO,O0O
bushels more than last years
exports from the remaining
seven months. 1t is an encOur-
aging fact that singularly little disturb
ance has yet appeared in regions where
real estate speculation was active, and
payments of interest on mortgages do
not yet seem usually delayed, even when
crops have been short. The treasury
has added 100000 to the circulation
during the week by increasing its bank
deposits $4,000, 900. Foreign trade shows
a small decrease in imports, while eX-
ports from this city for three weeks have
been 5 per cent below these of the cor
responding week last year. The bust
ness failures occurring throughout the
country during the last seven days, as
reported by telegraph, number for the
United States, 261, and for Canada, 90,
or total of 300, as compared with a
total of 2SS last week, and 254 the week
previous to the last. For the cores
ponding week last year the figures wexe